


An Invigorating Blend

by TrickrTreason



Category: Re-Animator (Movies)
Genre: Fluff, Humor, M/M, Slow Burn, coffee Zombies, coffee shop AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-09
Updated: 2018-02-09
Packaged: 2019-03-15 17:09:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13617873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrickrTreason/pseuds/TrickrTreason
Summary: Herbert West is a barista working on creating the perfect coffee, one that can keep a human awake and functioning for 72 hours. However, when he unleashes this drink on the student body, it has some interesting side affects.





	An Invigorating Blend

The Daily Grind, perhaps the smallest and least popular coffee shop Herbert West had ever worked at. It’s a shitty little hole in the wall cafe that somehow only attracts the worst that humanity has to offer, and Herbert. A strong love of coffee (some would say addiction) and distaste for spending too much money had drove him to get barista jobs over the years for employee discounts, though they never lasted especially long due to his mouthy behavior. Though discounts weren’t the long and short of it, of course, he loved coffee and loved experimenting with it, finding ways to make the most caffeinated coffee, making brews with the least acidity and hopefully a gradual crash, not a strong one. He was on the quest to create a coffee so great it would reanimate the dead, so to speak. It was science, chemistry, something he was especially gifted at. People skills however, not so much. 

“Herbert are you sure you want to take the counter again today?” Asked Dan Cain, Herbert’s roommate and coworker. He was a soft limp noodle sort of man, head in the clouds or between the thighs of a bubble headed coed. He did however have his uses, he was a decent chemist and even better test subject, he was also a baker and in no position to even insinuate they can switch places at work, regardless that the owners never show up. They were making the on foot trek from their shared house to the delapted little coffee shop. 

“Yes Daniel, I’m sure, are you not?” he replied bitterly. 

“Well it’s just that, you were kinda hard on that one customer yesterday… the girl with the latte.” 

“Daniel I’ve said it once I’ll say it a thousand times, a latte without milk or foam is just a coffee. I will not have plebeians trollopping around my store, present company excused.” The bell above the door rang when Herbert pushed it open and Dan rolled his eyes at Herbert’s thinly concealed insult, but knowing the man that might be the closest thing to a compliment he’d get. 

“Besides Daniel, think of it as educating the masses,” he said, pulling on his off-green apron over his dress shirt and tie, Dan wasn’t even sure if Herbert owned a t-shirt. “Imagine the girl going through her life not understanding the three simple ingredients of a latte.” 

“Herbert I don’t think you even know how to make a grilled cheese,” Dan retorted, pulling out flour and sugars from cabinets in the kitchen. They were falling into a very familiar daily routine. The kneading of dough, the whirring of coffee machines and bickering, so much bickering. 

“That is besides the point and besides that, I have no need to learn how, you manage to cook just fine.” Dan snickered from his place in the kitchen. 

“What, are you planning on wife-ing me up? Dr. West and his wife Dan, barefoot in the kitchen cooking him a grilled cheese?” Dan’s voice was filled with mirth at the obviously ridiculous situation. He couldn’t see it but Herbert’s face had turned beet red in either embarrassment or anger. 

“I find you utterly revolting.” 

“Aww, you love me.” 

Customers slowly started to dribble in as the morning went by, going for both coffee and pastry and then just coffee as the afternoon reared its head. The bickering between Herbert and Dan had fallen into a comfortable silence and light touches if one or the other was being too particular with syrups or blueberry placements. Around mid-afternoon the roll started to slow down so Herbert and Dan weren’t working at the speed of light anymore. Then the owner’s daughter just happened to walk in, Megan Halsey. 

Herbert didn’t like her much. She was beautiful and smart and had a pleasant personality and all those things combined just added to Herbert’s bitterness and spite, he swears his acne comes back every time he has to look at her flawless skin, the bitch. He was also completely convinced Dan was screwing her, which is completely unprofessional. Dan hasn’t cracked to his interrogations yet but he will. 

“Hey boys, how’s business,” she said pleasantly, bell jingling behind her. Dan poked his flour covered face out of the kitchen. 

“Hey Meg!” 

“Miss Halsey,” Herbert said evenly but not without disdain. “Your usual I presume.” Megan smirked playfully and leaned across the counter, like a lioness observing her prey. 

“I dunno West, have anything new cooking up in the lab?” she asked. Her voice was light but held a slightly mocking tone. It was no secret that Herbert was trying to make a perfect coffee, with some wheedleing from Dan and then Meg he had gotten permission to serve free samples of his brews in store, as long as supplies came out of pocket. Meg liked to think of him as a culinary mad scientist, Herbert liked to think of her as Annoying. The free samples were rarely tested and it left the three of them sucking down caffeine before Alan Halsey, the store owner, saw that the test was a failure. 

“Hmm, Reagent 24 hour blend? I presume you’d like it served with an overabundance of cream and sugar, diluting what real taste the drink has,” Herbert said haughtily, not even waiting for a response as he started preparing the drink.

“Oh I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Meg replied in the same sort of faux polite tone. The door behind Herbert creaked open and Dan finally emerged from his Betty Crocker dungeon. 

“I hope you guys like crepes,” he said, in a sing song voice. Herbert snorted. 

“Why?”

“Because I made crepes for us so we can have lunch together, there’s like strawberries and nutella in the back.” 

“Aww Dan, you’re so sweet,” Megan cooed. Herbert huffed. 

“No, I would rather work through lunch, thank you very much,” he said, getting back to the coffee at hand, but only briefly before he was grabbed around his middle by Dan and swayed. Meg began to giggle

“C’mon Herbert, you love crepes and I you haven't eaten anything all day,” he whined into Herbert’s ear. 

“Unhand me Daniel, I swear to god,” Herbert shouted, trying to hang onto some level of dignity. 

“Herbieeee,” Dan whined. “You need to eat, I’ll let you go if you eat.” 

“I am not a hostage!” 

“I’ll let you do your weird food thing if you eat.” A moment of silence, then finally. 

“Fine.” 

Dan cheered inwardly and grabbed the plates from the kitchen and set them on one of the empty wooden tables. Herbert set the coffees down before grabbing whatever was his “weird food thing”. It was apparently wrapping the crepes in Fruit-by-the-Foot and Sour Patch Kids before drowning them in maple syrup and nutella. Meg tried very hard to not look at Herbert’s plate, lest her gag reflex act up, she was almost sure he was doing this on purpose. He wasn’t. 

The rest of the day went on as usual, customer coming in and out, not many staying longer than it took for their order to come to them, they fell into a quiet night and eventually closed up, and Herbert and Dan walked home. 

“So Herbert, have any big plans tonight,” Dan asked casually. 

“Of course,” Hebert replied, voice clipping harshly through the quiet night. 

“Alright, I’m gonna take a quick shower when we get home and then meet you down there.”

“Naturally.” 

Down there, Herbert’s basement, it didn’t matter that they shared the house and both spent time down there, it was Herbert’s abode. Possibly stolen chemistry and coffee equipment was littered over a definitely stolen stainless steel operating table. This was where Herbert worked on his magnum opus, his baby, his Reagent. This was also where Dan spent his time as equal part Igor and lab rat, either measuring levels of coffee beans to espresso or drinking it down and promptly crashing somewhere in the house anywhere from an hour to 24 hours later. The 24 hour brew was nearly perfect but not caffeinated enough and it certainly didn’t have a pleasant taste. This had caused Herbert to reach out to rarer and more experimental ingredients for taste and caffeine. Things like yerba matte, dark chocolate and… 

“Green coffee beans!” Herbert exclaimed proudly, holding a bag aloft. 

“What?” Dan asked, sitting on a short metal stool, his hair still slightly damp from his shower. 

“Green coffee beans, these are our game changer! They are more caffeinated than regular coffee beans in their pure form, but, if mixed with agents from my 24 hour brew we can super charge the stimulant levels, and by adding in the herbal yerba matte we can raise the stimulation even more while decreasing the crash levels. This will make us famous, and live lifetimes.” 

“Woah woah, hold your roll, we have to make it and try it first, for all we know this could be a fluke,” Dan said. Herbert’s eyebrows furrowed in irritation. 

“Daniel I know this time we’re going to get it right, I can feel it Daniel.” Despite the mania lurking behind Herbert’s eyes, he had a pleading a vulnerable look that just made Dan want to agree with everything he said. He whined inwardly, not wanting to have to look at what he deemed to be Sad Herbert. 

“It will work Herbert, it will,” he said, softer, kinder this time. “But let’s just try it, just to be sure, just to be safe.” There was still a pained and wary expression on Herbert’s face as if he suspected Dan of lying. For a man who claimed to have no emotions, he sure did show them prominently on his face. Dan took a leap of faith and stood from his seat, cupping Herbert’s face in one hand, if he didn’t know better he’d say it felt like Herbert was melting into his touch. 

“Go do your science, West. I’ll be here to help you out no matter what,” he said, voice lighter than he was used to. Something about having his face so close to his roommates made him breathless, and it seemed Herbert was under the same affliction by the deep shaking inhale and exhale he took. He nodded before slightly taking off, going to bring his creation to life. 

It was almost like magic watching herbert work, he was truly in his element mixing, diluting, simmering and brewing his ingredients as Dan was helpless to just watch and then occasionally help out with measurements. At the end, the drink was poured into two graduated cylinders posing as mugs, for a full sight and flavor test. 

“Jesus Christ Herbert look at that,” Dan exclaimed. The coffee was a bright green color, it was almost glowing in how fluorescent it was. Herbert grinned. 

“Yes, the green coffee beans did have more color in them than we had thought.” He held up his cup in a toast. “To new discoveries Daniel.” 

“Here, here,” he replied, clinking glasses together. At first sip it was bitter, almost painfully bitter, but then it faded into a nutty almost mocha like taste before going down with no acidity, just sweetness. 

“Wow,” Dan exclaimed. “It’s really good.”

“Yes, this was certainly a pleasant surprise,” Herbert said. He took another thoughtful sip. If it wasn’t the super caffeinated drink he set out for, at least it was a rather delicious black coffee. Well, green. 

“Well, we have to test how long lasting it is, what do you want to do for the rest of the night?” Dan asked, swaying from side to side, he could already feel the coffee taking hold of him. Herbert tapped his finger against his lower lip in thought. 

“Board games?” He offered, face brightening. Dan laughed and smiled. 

“Sure.” 

They had gone through six board games the first night, seven movies the second night and at the third night, they fell asleep on top of each other on their couch, an hour until midnight. 72 hours of nonstop energy from one cup of coffee. Herbert woke up to the sound of Dan’s ringtone and groaned. Everything way too bright and he had a kink in his neck that he hadn’t known in such a long time. He attempted to sit up and found himself firmly glued on his back, he opened his eyes just a sliver to see Dan snoring sound asleep on his chest, pinning him to the couch. Herbert groaned again and began wiggling, hoping to loose the heavier man from his body.

“Wake up you oaf, your fucking phone’s ringing,” he growled into Dan’s ear, wiggling even more frantically. Dan eventually woke up when Herbert had managed to propel the man off of him and onto the hardwood floor. 

“Herbert what the fuck,” Dan groaned sleepily from the floor, rubbing at his eyes. 

“Your phone has been ringing,” Herbert replied tersely, brushing off his rumpled suit. Dan reached over the coffee table and grabbed his buzzing phone. 

“Yello.” 

“Dan, where the hell are you?” came a frantic voice. It was Meg’s. 

“I just woke up, why?” he responded. 

“Asshole, your shift started an hour ago, I’ve been calling you every break I can get.” Dan's eyes widened in aprehension. Fuck, fuck shit fuck. 

“We’ll be right there,” he yelled into the phone before hanging up. “Herbert get ready quick, get the coffee!” 

“Why?”

“We’re late!”

“Fuck!” 

They fumbled together their supplies with incredible speed, only adding fifteen minutes to their overall lateness. The run to work on the other hand, was set back by a mild asthma attack, courtesy of Herbert who believes he’s too good to carry around his inhaler, or something like that. When they arrived they expected the place to be swamped with Megan drowning under a sea of coffee and angry people. Instead there was a quiet line of three people and a frazzled Meg behind the bar. She sent the both of them a death glare as they walked in, prompting the two to run to her aid. 

“You’re late,” she growled, thrusting the apron at Herbert’s chest, who somehow managed to maintain his cocky swagger. 

“Yes, yes, a small casualty to overall greatness. Megan Halsey, I have discovered a coffee brew that can keep a human being sharp and alert for 72 hours straight, one cup,” he declared proudly. The was a quiet murmur amongst the customers. 

“I’d like to try one of those,” said a paint covered student. 

“I would too,” said another. “Sleep is for the weak.” Herbert grinned a shit eating grin at Megan. 

“They’d like to try it Megan,” he repeated smarmily. She growled under his breath in exasperation. 

“Then go make it happen, West,” she said, wiping her hands clean of the matter and sitting down at a small table, watching whatever madness was happening. And Herbert began brewing, and it was like watching an orchestra play a symphony. No matter how many times Dan’s seen him, he's still awestruck by Herbert’s precision and fines, not that he was staring. Bright green drinks were being served to the two daring customers. One sip and their eyes illuminated a smoky black color. It was good. It was really good. Phones were fished out of pockets, informing friends they have to get there right now to try this coffee. 

It was the busiest day The Daily Grind had seen since it opened in 1985, Herbert’s coffee had been a real success which even drew in some workers from competing coffee shops to see just what all the gossip was about. Arkham was a very slow backwoods town, they took whatever gossip they could get and what they could get was that the glowing green coffee was a must have drink.

It was nearly 8 pm when they finally closes, opting to staying open longer just to reap their rewards a little longer. Herbert was flushed and exhausted, practically using Dan as a crutch before he went into the kitchen to finish cleaning up. Herbert was not an active man but today gave him a run for his money. Suddenly the little bell above the front door gave it’s chirping little jingle. A young man in all black with a pale face, pale rivalling Herbert’s, walked into the Daily Grind just before closing. Dan was in the back and Meg went home so it was just Herbert manning the front of the store. 

“We’re closing, the coffee machines are already off and you can come back in the morning,” Herbert gripped, not looking up from wiping down the counter. 

“I’m not here for coffee,” the mystery man said. His voice was cold and sent shivers up Herbert’s spine. 

“Then what are you here for?” 

“Have you heard of The Mortuary, the coffee shop on Misk U campus?” Herbert’s heart began to flutter, it was less of a coffee shop and more of a club for the rich, beautiful or popular in the goth community, something he was not. 

“I’ve heard of it,” Herbert replied in a mask of indifference. 

“Well we’ve heard of you and your coffee, West, and we’re willing to offer you a job at The Mortuary if you bring your… talents.” 

“Really, well of course I’m interested,” Herbert said, trying to keep his excitement to a minimum. 

“Good,” the mystery man said. “Just make sure you leave your preppy friend at home when you show up for work.” 

“Daniel?” the hurt and confusion must have been obvious in Herbert’s voice. 

“It’s nothing personal, he just doesn’t have the right look we like to maintain at The Mortuary. You understand right?” Herbert shot a glance at the closed door behind him, concealing Daniel. 

“Yes, yes I understand.” 

There was a terrible silence between them for the rest of the night, or at least Herbert felt it. He knew Dan would understand, that he was just going on to better and brighter things, but deep down he felt like something was off. He didn’t sleep, he picked out an outfit from his limited wardrobe that would be suitable for The Mortuary and hoped that Dan wouldn't question where he was when he would inevitably wake up in an empty house the next morning. 

The morning was dark, as was his outfit. He settled on switching out his white dress shirt for a black one and black tie with blood red. He settled out for his morning walk to work when his phone had buzzed just as he reached the street towards the student union. 

He got a message. 

“Herbert where are you, why aren't you at work?” Dan. Of course. Herbert huffed and slide his phone under the counter, texting stealthily before turning his phone off. 

“I'll tell you later,” he responded. With phone silenced and shut off he could return his attention to his walk to work, imagining all the adoring customers he’d get, or at least as adoring as these goths can manage. He could see people taking artsy pictures of his Reagent and posting them online, even coming back and demanding to know how he made it or reserving a cup for tomorrow, as Herbert’s health and safety rules for his Reagent was one a day. Herbert had to remember this drink was still highly experimental and only two people experienced the full three day. Himself and Dan. Dan. His phone surely full of messages from Dan. He wanted to be pissed, but he couldn't even manage that. 

Walking into his new place of work, it was very dark. Black lights and blood red lamps were the only source of light and with the walls painted black and no windows it was difficult to see. Herbert squinted into the darkness for any sign of life. Rising from a black leather couch like a vampire was a person, the mystery man from the other night. 

“Mr. West, I presume,” he said. 

“Yes, and who might you be?” Herbert replied. In the darkness he saw a thin black lipsticked smirk seep across the other man’s face. 

“I'm Bloodthorne, your manager,” he said simply. Herbert winced slightly at the name, but tried to hide any disdain for the ridiculous name. 

“I see, and I assume you’d want me to be serving my Reagent to your, uh, patrons?” Hebert asked, plaintively putting a hand on his shoulder bag holding his equipment. Bloodthorne snorted. 

“No way, that shit got too popular and only poseurs would drink it now.” Herbert’s brow furrowed at his boss’s frank tone. “Nah, we just needed a new barista, our old one died dude. Yeah, freak mosh pit accident.” Herbert blanched, he wasn’t called in for his skill or talent, but because he was the only other option. No customers, no people adoring him or stroking his ego, he could feel his hatred growing like an ever burning flame. The day went by slowly as he stewed in resentment for every human on Earth. 

Herbert had gotten home way after Dan had from both the walk and the simple fact that he worked longer hours now. Dan was sitting on their couch waiting for him like an upset parent. 

“You said you'd explain later,” Dan said calmly but not without a hint of sass. Herbert rolled his eyes and shifted his weight to his right foot. 

“I was offered a job at the upscale cafe The Mortuary and I took it. It must have slipped my mind to tell you and as my shift starts before yours I didn't wish to wake you.” Herbert tried to make his job sound prettier than it was. The pay was higher but it was at the cost of some self-respect. 

“You could have left me a note!” 

“Oh and what would a note possibly say Dan, ‘new job, details later’?” Herbert retorted, voice raising in volume. Dan huffed. 

“You could have told me, I was worried about you when you weren't at home or at work and then you just send me back a cryptic text and disappear for the rest of the day. I was worried,” Dan said, and he looked it too. Herbert dropped the defensiveness in his posture, it obviously wasn't warriented. 

“Well next time try not to worry so much,” Herbert said in a vaguely friendly voice. It was as close as an “I'm sorry for worrying you” he's ever gotten. 

“And hey,” Dan began amicably. “It's not like I won't be able to see you all day, I can visit you on my breaks, check out the competition.” Herbert audibly sucked air in through his teeth and looked away scratching at the nap of his neck, Dan’s entire demeanor changed. “I can still visit you right?” He said again, frenetic energy seeping into his voice. 

He was met with yet more silence. 

“I can still visit you ri-”

“You can't okay!” Herbert finally yelled, arms crossed heavily over his chest. “God Daniel, we live together we don't need to be with each other every second of the day!” Lies. “It’s all just a little weird!” Lies. “And it’s not even like we’re boyfriends!” Silence held thick and heavy in the air, a pin could drop at any moment. 

“No, no we aren't,” Dan replied, voice calm but hiding more beneath it. 

“Exactly,” Herbert said, voice carrying a similar lilt to Dan's. Dan gave Herbert a sideways glance. 

“I'm going to Meg’s,” he said quietly, before storming out, door shaking behind him. Herbert shot an angry look at the door before he too stormed off to his basement. 

And neither one of them cried, not even a little. 

Dan had spent the evening into the next day at Meg’s house, on Meg’s couch, bitching and eating whatever snacks he could find. Meg tried to press Dan on what exactly has got him so upset but he wouldn't budge. Meg simply accepted it with a grain of salt and acted as his shoulder to cry on, frequently literally. 

They were sitting on the couch watching some sort of sports channel, Meg wasn't paying attention and neither was Dan. Normally when they watch sports together Dan is so animated and excitable that he's more entertaining than the screen, but not today. He'd gotten over whatever had caused this morning’s series of sniffles and had his head resting on Meg’s bosom as she pet his hair like he were her lapdog. 

“Dan, you know you'll have to either get over it or fix whatever has you in such a grump,” Meg sighed. There was only so much melodrama she could take. 

“I knooow-” Dan started to whine, before being abruptly interrupted. 

It was a text that had called Dan out of his depression. He jolted up and startled Meg, nearly clocking her dead in the chin. It was a text from Herbert reading plainly “things are bad, bring a weapon, meet me in the student union”. 

“What the fuck?” Meg said, peering over at Dan’s phone. 

“I have no idea…. Do you still have your baseball bat?” Dan asked. Meg’s faced switched to confusion and shock. 

“It’s in my coat closet… you aren’t seriously planning on following through with this?” 

Dan got up from the couch and grabbed Meg’s bat from the closet. 

“I have to, he’s my roommate,” he said melodramatically before running out the front door. 

“That doesn’t even make any sense!” Meg called after him. 

“It sounded cooler in my head!” Dan yelled back. 

The run was fast, the New England air stinging at Dan’s face. He was in pretty good shape and could run for quite a distance, but with the fear of what could possibly be awaiting him at the student union, it made him all the more quick. When he had finally reached the outside of those long glass walls he could see Herbert inside anxiously checking his phone, Dan made no haste in running up to his roommate, despite his lungs begging otherwise. 

“Herbert, what’s wrong,” he shouted, out of breath and panting. Herbert twitched and twiddled his fingers. 

“Something went wrong with my reagent, all those who drank it, save you and I, have been affected and put into a trance like state.”

“You mean like zombies?”

“Yeah… zombies.” 

Around them was the student body moaning shuffling around, their skin had taken on the greenish glow of the Reagent and their bodies looked emaciated and starved, despite how much any of them ate. The two men watched in horror at the shambling masses. 

“Maybe they’re friendly?” Dan said hopefully. He spoke too soon. What appeared to be an English major lunged forward and bit a huge gaping hole at a freshman zombie’s neck, lapping and sucking at her, at its, green tinged blood. 

“It’s drinking the coffee out of its fellow zombie’s bloodstream, this blend is more addictive than we originally thought, fascinating,” Herbert said breathlessly, feeling up his pockets for a notebook to jot down his discoveries. 

“Not fascinating,” Dan cried. “We’re probably the two most caffeinated people on campus, i.,e zombie food!” 

Herbert and Dan shared a panicked look before bolting out of the student union, hoping for a place that wasn’t covered in coffee addicted zombies. Former customers lined the streets, some dead, some alive and some sort of half dead, having the Reagent being sucked out of them like a zombie juice box. The pair took a sharp turn to the left into an alleyway. Dead end. The zombies lurched towards them in a horrible swarm. They were walking slowly but there were too many to run away, and they were too strong to fight back. 

“Daniel, if we’re going to die at the hands of a zombie plague I have one last thing I need to tell you.” 

“Me too.” 

“I think I’m in love with you!” Herbert yelled. 

“I dropped your toothbrush down the toilet once!” Dan shouted simultaneously. 

“What?” Herbert asked, a disgusted look on his face. His rant against Dan was cut off quick by the other man’s lips enveloping roughly over his in a deep bruising kiss. 

“I love you too Herbert, so much, and I’m sorry it has to end this way.” 

Herbert inhaled heavily, taken aback from the out of nowhere kiss, though certainly not unappreciated. They were backed up against the brick wall of a filthy Arkham alleyway, clutching each other as the zombie closed in on them, ready to suck their blood of any remaining caffeine, the sun rising the in distance, painting the sky blood red. It wasn’t the way Herbert wanted to die but he supposed he never had any choice in the matter. He buried his face in Dan’s broad chest and waited for the end, waited, waited. 

“Daniel how long has it been since the reagent was unleashed?” Herbert asked, voice muffled. 

“I dunno, like three days, feels like forever” was his shaky reply. Herbert’s brows furrowed against Dan’s chest. 

“Dan are your eyes opened?” He asked. 

“No, why?” 

“Open your eyes,” he said, voice less panicky and more stern. Dan complied. The ‘zombies’ were passed out on the ground, sleeping and oozing out of all orifices the bright green coffee. 

“I guess the caffeine was too much for them,” Dan chuckled, looking out on the students sleeping en mass on the pavement. Herbert was wiping away tears from his face, desperately trying to calm his breathing. 

“Dan,” Herbert said, small hot hand tugging at Dan’s own. “Dan let’s go home.” 

Dan laughed and bent down, capturing Herbert’s mouth in yet another kiss. He tasted like black coffee and the salt of near death tears, Dan couldn't help grinning into the kiss. 

“Sure thing, Herbert,” he replied, breaking away and giving Herbert’s hand a firm, reassuring squeeze. When the ‘zombies’ wake up from their pavement nap Dan and Herbert will be happily at home, ready to deny all part in this weird ordeal, as if it was a bad caffeine fever dream.

**Author's Note:**

> I gotta thank cazzylimerence@tumblr.com for writing out this prompt, I really ran with it. As always, thank you for reading and kudos and comments keep me going :)


End file.
